The Residency Towers, Avinashi Road Centrally located to almost everything, The Residency Towers is as friendly as the town itself. It is one of the best hotels in Coimbatore. The main draw is that it doesn’t pretend to be a posh hotel and its loyalists are fine with that. The food is unusually good: whether it’s Afghan Grill’s North-West Frontier fare or the Kongunadu cuisine at Pavilion. The hotel is popular with relatives of patients admitted to Ganges Hospital - one of the country’s most famous orthopaedic hospitals.

Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur This is the closest luxury hotel to the airport and to the city’s IT hub, TIDEL Park. The clientele here is a well-heeled mix of locals as well as textile buyers and business travellers from abroad. Come dinner time, try the hummus and fried pita at Estia, the Mediterranean restaurant.

Vivanta by Taj – Surya, Race Course Road Shards of stone are laid out at the entrance to bring the sun inside the hotel. It’s a nice take on the name, Surya. The Dalai Lama and Shah Rukh Khan are some famous personalities who have been guests at Vivanta by Taj - Surya. Karthikeyan is a regular, as most of his family functions are held here. Guests mustn’t leave without sampling Latitude’s idlis, which are fantastic. Red Pearl gives Coimbatore an authentic Chinese experience.

Zone by the Park, Avinashi Road This funky, contemporary hotel describes itself as a hotel that’s ‘Social by Design’. The rooms have free Wi-fi, flat-screens, iPod docks and minibars. They’re all controlled by smart technology which saves your preferences whether it's the temperature or your choice of television channels. Loyalists can also save these for future visits across any Zone hotel in other cities.

Le Méridien Coimbatore, Avinashi Road The Tamil Nadu suite at Le Meridien, inspired by Chettinad architecture, is where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed while campaigning in this part of the country. The hotel has 55,000sq ft of banqueting space, ideal for all those endless conferences. When it comes to dining, there’s Peacock for Indian cuisine, Ponzu for Asian fare, Favola for Italian and a cigar lounge too. The possibilities are endless.